Your Faithful Friend
by Mariel Gullwhacker
Summary: *Formerly 'Love In The Light'. Please tell me what you think!* This is a Mariel/Dandin romance. When they leave Redwall to go questing, they get mixed up in a rebellion against the King of Hartfar, and love makes the world go round.
1. Questing Together

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Love In The Light 01: Questing Together

A/N: I know I usually do my notes at the end of series fics, but this ending is kind of powerful. No, that's not the right word. Profound, I think. Yeah, profound. (Profound? I'm 11!) I don't like the title, can anyone suggest a better one?

This has a dedication, Cesar Salazar, who requested it. Thanks for e-mailing me!

**__**

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Dandin shaded his eyes, and then gave a yell, startling Mariel.

"What?" she called, balancing herself precariously on the branch.

"The Abbey's on the horizon!"

This time Mariel really did fall out of the tree. Luckily, it was not far from the ground, and she landed on the softest thing possible in that area - Dandin. 

They collapsed laughing on the earth, before recovering themselves sufficiently enough to strike camp.

It was well into noon before the abbey loomed up close, and Dandin wiped his forehead with a kerchief.

"It's hot," he complained.

"Understatement of the season," Mariel remarked, taking the kerchief from him, and wetting it with a drop of cold water - though it was already soaked with sweat on the boiling hot day - before rubbing her own face.

"And in the abbey they'll be serving cold mint tea and trifles straight from the pantry," said Dandin wistfully.

"And if you want some of it, you'd better get a move on," snapped Mariel, the heat making her irritable. Then - "Sorry. But it's so hot…"

"I know," said Dandin, flopping against her. "I feel the same. You'll have to carry me these last few yards."

"No, I won't. You carry your own weight - if you're heavy, then that's your fault for eating too much!" retorted Mariel, pushing him away. Dandin snorted.

"Eating too much? That's a good-'un. We've been starving ourselves for about a season!" cried Dandin in mock horror.

"Shows how much you eat then, doesn't it?" replied Mariel astutely. "It's only been two days, because we only ran out of food then."

"Maybe, but it feels like a season, and my stomach is always right. All it says is, 'has the throat been cut?'."

Mariel inspected her friend's neck carefully. "Nope, no bleeding. Can't have been cut."

"All right, Mariel, you win," said Dandin disarmingly, and Mariel fell for it. 

"Don't I always?" she retorted.

"But you can't have _this_ time," said Dandin suddenly.

"Why?"

"Because my stomach only _asked_, and it's a figure of speech, so it doesn't count, so _I_ won - again," burst out Dandin.

Mariel sighed. She hoped the abbey wasn't a mirage.

It was Saxtus who spotted them first.

"Mariel! Dandin!"

"Where?" asked Rufe.

"Over there. You can see two figures - and I'd bet my life it was them!"

The Redwallers hurried around to greet the two warriors. They had been gone three seasons.

"Welcome back!"

"Mariel, finally!"

"Dandin, you old rascal, Mother Mellus would spank you if she was here!"

When the greetings were over, the two warriors were ushered to seats in Cavern Hole.

"There's a feast tonight," explained Tarquin, helping himself to meadowcream pudding. "One to celebrate the beginning of the autumn. They're going to call it the Autumn of the Storms."

"Will there be storms?" asked Mariel, her eyes wide.

"Simeon says so. Big ones too, lots of thunder and lightning."

Mariel shivered in the boiling heat. Dandin noticed.

"Are you all right? You've gone pale."

"I'll be all right. It was just - "

Dandin nodded understandingly. Even though Gabool was dead, Mariel still had a fear of storms - or rather, the memories they brought back.

But nothing could spoil the pure joy of the moment, and soon Mariel was laughing and dancing again, free as the air. Dandin watched from the sidelines, playing on his flute with Tarquin accompanying him on the harolina.

"I say, old chap, you won't be able to work the next thingy on the jolly old windpipe. Best go and join the dancers, wot?"

Dandin shrugged and laid down his flute. "All right. What _is_ the next song?"

Tarquin Longleap Woodsorrel did not answer. Instead, he played a few bars of the current tune, and then stopped, making a face.

"The old strings have got a bit wet, m'lad. Don't worry, soon be sorted, wot, wot?"

Dandin laughed and went off to join Mariel, bowing in a mock-courtly way. "May I have the next dance, my dear friend?"

"Why, certainly," answered Mariel, imitating his posh voice.

The introduction sounded, and it was recognised as an old favourite, 'Marigold Bay'. It required partners, and Dandin grabbed Mariel's paws and swung her round, still laughing. It was a comic song, and soon the dancers were laughing too hard to dance. Only Dandin and Mariel completed the song, working their laughter into the dance.

"_Marigold Bay, my love, my heart_

Where I'll always find a raspberry tart

Be taken away in a marzipan cart

Oh, oh, Marigold Bay!"

It was a typical hare song; a spoof of an old melody about wishing to be at a supposedly wonderful place named Marigold Bay.

"_Marigold Bay, that's where I love_

And there'll always be a vermin cove

To scrap with and send to the place high above

Oh, oh, Marigold Bay!"

The Redwallers were bright-eyed and laughing at the comical way Tarquin played, balancing on one foot while he sang in a high, reedy voice, adding further to the hilarity. Rosie herself could not see what was wrong, so she turned to Treerose, who could not control her giggles.

"I don't see what's so funny. Please tell me this blinkin' moment!"

Treerose could only shake her head, too weak with laughter to talk.

"_Marigold Bay, it's a beautiful place_

Visited once by Sunflash the Mace

I had to leave, had an ugly face

Oh, oh, Marigold Bay!"

There was no way anybeast could stifle their giggles now. Even Mariel and Dandin were shaking with unexploded laughter as they swung each other round.

"_And so I end my ditty_

About that wonderful pretty

It's occupants witty

Maaaaaariiiiiiigooooooooold Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

Tarquin finished off-key, the notes grating against every Redwaller's ears. However, they were laughing too hard to care. Finally Rosie saw the joke, and even the most gentle or deaf Redwaller wished she hadn't.

"Whoohahaha! That's a good'un, Tarkers! Good old Marigold Bay! Whoohahaha!"

*

But even the jollity of the evening couldn't prevent the storm from beating against the windows of the dormitory, and Dandin found Mariel pale as a ghost, almost in tears.

"The storm?"

Mariel nodded. Dandin put an arm round her. "Don't worry."

"I'm not…" whispered Mariel, weakly trying to hide the fact that she was terrified.

Dandin wisely did not comment, but drew his friend closer to him, hugging the small figure.

"Everything's going to be fine…it's just a storm."

"I know," said Mariel sarcastically. "I can hear it."

Dandin grinned, and let go of her. "Don't cry, now, or I'll send for your father!"

Mariel smiled. "And I suppose you wouldn't stop at resurrecting Gabool?"

Dandin grinned again. "Oh, I think I would. I'm not _that_ bad!"

Mariel raised her eyebrows. "Prove it."

Dandin shrugged. "Don't have to."

"Let's not argue…'night, Dandin."

" 'Night, Mariel."

Something had changed during those few minutes. Perhaps it had always been there in their mutual lives, but merely sleeping. Or maybe it had just landed in upon them, no hard feelings. Either way, nothing would be quite the same again.


	2. Loving and Leaving

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Love In The Light 02: Loving And Leaving

Dandin looked soberly back at the Abbey. "I'd like to stay for the rest of the season," he said sadly.

"Oh, for goodness sake, don't cry," replied Mariel, blinking back her own tears. She was worried herself, but not over the same things as Dandin. The storms. How bad were they going to be?

*

It was a kind of anticlimax when the rain began to fall. Part of Mariel was annoyed, it was hampering their progress, another part of her was glad, wanting it to keeping raining so that she didn't have to worry about storms, and yet a third part was fear that it would suddenly turn into a full-scale storm.

"I'm worried," was all she said, however. Dandin understood immediately, but could not resist the chance of teasing his friend.

"It's all right, Mariel, I'll look after you."

He ducked as the Gullwhacker swung over his head. "I can look after myself perfectly, thank you!"

"Oh, right. You can look after yourself perfectly. Then why are you attacking me?"

"I'm - "

But Dandin never heard Mariel finish the sentence. Having been attacked from behind, he put up no defence, and was taken out easily with a blow to the head.

Mariel struggled fruitlessly for a while before Mangear clubbed her as well, knocking her out cold.

*

She woke in a dark place. Stars still glittered around her, and she moaned, feeling the lump on the back of her head.

"You all right?"

She recognised Dandin's voice, and she stumbled towards it, but tripped and fell. Dandin caught her in his paws and they sat together for a while, talking quietly.

"Whose fault is it that we're here?"

"Probably mine." Dandin spared himself no insults. What a fool he had been to miss the attack.

"No, it was both of us."

"It doesn't matter now, surely? After all, we're still stuck here."

"I suppose so. I wonder whose pleasure we're here at."

"Pleasure indeed. Vermin!"

"I agree."

"Well, you're hardly going to disagree, are you?"

"Good point. D'you think it's a fox? It was the last time we were locked up."

"A Fox_wolf_, Mariel."

"Ha, ha, very funny. So funny I forgot to laugh."

"I was being sarcastic, my Mariel."

"Hey! Who said that I was yours?"

"Me."

"I'm not your Mariel, nor anyone else's. Mariel belongs to Mariel, all right?"

"Yes, _my_ Mariel."

Mariel was glad that Dandin hadn't lost his sense of humour.

"Have you got your flute?"

"I hope so…yes! It was tucked into my cloak, along with my dagger, but that's gone."

"I've got my Gullwhacker, but that can't do us much good. Still, you can lighten the atmosphere in this place."

Dandin nodded with a grin and began to play. Mariel sang and beat time to it with her footpaws.

"_It's sapphire and emerald, all green and blue_

With an outline of silver, topaz and ruby too.

It's an engagement ring, from me to you

Or from Adrian Skipper to otter Mary-Lou!"

There was a banging on the heavy oaken door. "Shut that caterwauling!" yelled the guard. "You're breaking the door."

Mariel looked mildly offended. "I don't caterwaul, do I, Dandin?"

"No, Mariel," said Dandin, lifting his flute to his lips again.

"_There's amethyst, there's diamond and there's pearl_

There's enough to make any vermin's headfur curl

There's jewels and precious metal fit for an earl

But now we go forth, there's a flag to unfurl!"

Mariel's song came out sweet and clear, the words falling from her lips like a golden stream. She certainly was not 'caterwauling'.

"_We lead into battle, we mayn't see each other again_

But that's not our problem, not in the main

We can't lose or draw, a win we must gain

Before we meet once more in Lovers' Lane."

Dandin smiled at Mariel, singing her heart out. They were both used to freedom, and hated slavery, but even imprisonment couldn't stifle their thoughts - as the old harewife had said so many seasons ago, they were free in their heads and in their hearts wherever they were!

He changed to an old travelling song they had heard on their quests. It was called 'Side By Side' and it was a popular one amongst themselves.

"_Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money_

Maybe we're ragged and funny

But we'll travel along, singin' a song

Side by side.

Don't know what's comin' tomorrow

Maybe it's trouble and sorrow

But we'll travel the road, sharin' our load

Side by side.

Through all kinds of weather

What if the sky should fall?

As long as we're together

It doesn't matter at all.

When they've all had their quarrels and parted

We'll be the same as we started

Just trav'lin' along, singin' a song

Side by side."

The guard slammed in and grabbed Dandin roughly by the shoulder.

"The boss wants to see you. Can't imagine why, but you're lucky." He glanced at Mariel, who had risen. "Not you, mousemaid. The boss doesn't like maids."

Dandin bent down and hugged Mariel, feeling like a sacrificial victim.

"Mariel, I guess I'll have to love you and leave you."

He left in the company of the guard. Mariel sat there, completely confused. It wasn't often that Dandin hugged her, or indeed, that she hugged him. And what did he mean, 'love you and leave you'? She shook her head. Sometimes even your best friends could surprise you.

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A/N: This part is based on the bit in _The Bellmaker_ where Dandin says: "That's my Mariel! Escaping's not good enough for her, she's got to capture the gatehouse as well!" Or words to that effect, anyhow.

Disclaimer: I tend to skip these, as no one reads them. Still, one thing - 'Side By Side' belongs to Harry Woods, according to my songbook. All the other songs belong to me, as I wrote them. (Never! I'm sure you didn't notice!) You probably guessed that, them being such bad poetry.

Mariel Gullwhacker.


	3. Side By Side

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Love In The Light 03: Side By Side

Dandin swallowed hard as he was prodded in front of the fearsome creature. It had madly rolling eyes and reddish-brown fur…a frightening figure of a wildcat.

"Name?" he demanded in a shrill voice.

"I am Dandin of Redwall, cat."

The wildcat's eyes flashed, and then continued in their circles.

"Do you know who you are in the presence of?"

"A wildcat?" suggested Dandin.

"_King Mordred Mordunish_! Know that you are in his wake, mouse, and you may live to see another dawn!"

"What, you mean we'll have windows in our cell?"

The wildcat leapt forward and attacked the young mouse. Luckily, the guards restrained their master, or Dandin would have been killed instantly.

"Remember, mouse! Remember that you have offended the King of Hartfar, and beware! There will be no guards, no second chances when we meet again!"

*

Dandin was thrown violently back into the cell. He rubbed his elbow distastefully. "_Not_ a nice creature."

"Who was it?" asked Mariel eagerly.

"A wildcat. King Mordred Mordunish, or so he says. He's crazy."

"Wouldn't surprise me," replied Mariel thoughtfully. "D'you think we could try to escape?"

"P'raps. But how?"

Mariel leaned forward. "Remember what Meldrum said, in Southsward?"

Suddenly Dandin understood. "The door!"

"The hinges are on the inside. I think it was the same architect as designed Castle Floret."

"But - "

"What?"

Dandin looked miserable. All those hopes…

"We haven't got anything sharp to cut them with."

"Oh, that." Mariel smiled. "Don't worry. The guard's spear is wobbly."

"You mean that we could snap it off?"

"Yes."

Dandin nodded. It was a plan, at any rate. But if it didn't work…

*

"Hey! Fishface!"

The guard stumped up to the heavy oaken door.

"Who you talkin' to? I'm notta fishface!"

"Fatty!"

The guard drove his spear in through the bars. "Don't you say things like that, or - or King Mordred'll have you done!"

__

Snap!

The spearhead snapped off, nearly hitting Dandin in the cheek. He dodged and picked the rusty metal point up.

"It's better than nothing. What's wrong?"

Mariel looked worried. "It's nothing…just…what if he raises the alarm?"

"Why should he?" asked Dandin.  
"Good point." She seemed happier now.

"I'll do the top ones," decided Dandin. "I'm bigger."

"Are you?" demanded Mariel. Then - "Oh, yes, so you are."

*

The spearhead grated against the weakening hinges. Mariel covered her ears, and waited for the door to fall as Dandin stepped back.

"Now, don't you go makin' more noise!" yelled the guard, storming up to the grilling. "I'll - "

But what he was going to do was never known, for at that moment the door collapsed.

__

Crash!

Dandin looked around, while Mariel listened. It seemed that none had heard the crash.

They dashed down the winding stone staircase. Mariel noticed that it was one that allowed the person walking down to use their weapon freely…one that, while very useful to them, was hardly helpful to the vermin for which it had been built.

It wonted but three minutes to midnight. All was still…too still. It unnerved the two comrades more than noise and bustle would have done. Mariel was shaking as she opened the heavily bolted and chained front entrance. Dandin silently let the drawbridge down and fled across it, hand in hand, with Mariel.

*

King Mordred stretched luxuriously and lay down on the massive four-poster bed. He'd had a good day - quite apart from that cheeky young prisoner, there'd been a marvellous banquet to celebrate the fact that there was no need for celebration, and perhaps - _perhaps_ - there would be another cause for festivities. He'd seen his youthful son, handsome as all his family was, speaking to that royal catmaid, Luciana.

Mordred glanced out of the window. He could see his sons walking in a huge body, showing off to the others, his daughters gathered in a small huddle, giggling at something, and other courtiers kneeling to them, giving messages and receiving them. Maybe he'd beat some of the nobles tomorrow, that always put him in a good mood, as it did the others. Then he sat up. Surely…

"Rouse the house!" he roared. "Two prisoners have escaped!"

The guards leapt to attention, and began running to their stations. Sleepy servants, on their way to bed, hastily splashed cold water on their faces and then sped off to warn everyone that the King was in a bad mood.

"Two prisoners have escaped! Sire, your helmet!"

"Never mind it! Go and recapture the prisoners, you dolt!"

"Yes, Sire!" shouted the servant from halfway down the corridor.

Dandin shook his head. "There's no way we'll plough through this, Mariel. We'll go down fighting, though."

"And together," added Mariel.

"And together."

Something about her adding this gave Dandin a warm feeling in his stomach, but this was soon replaced by fear at the marching swarm of soldiers. Something told him that this was no army of generally less than competent, however, battle-hardened vermin, but skilled, well-trained, _deadly_ fighters. Noble creatures - not noble in the sense of bravery, but that of power, of gold and land.

"Here comes trouble…quick, back to back!"

"Wait - run for that rock."

Dandin caught on immediately. He yelled, "Come on, Mariel! Double round the castle keep and back into the gatehouse!"

The great majority of the horde raced for the gatehouse, but one or two brighter sparks saw where the two were heading for, and tried to cut them off.

Dandin punched one, knocking him out. Mariel clubbed another with her Gullwhacker, and Dandin snatched up his victim's sword.

"S'better than…nothing!" he gasped out as the army came at them in full force.

They stood side by side, backs against the rock, fighting for their very lives. The two were wounded badly, and were on the point of collapsing, when a familiar battlecry rang out.

"Eulaliaaaaaaaaaaa!"

A/N: If you read the second part, you'll find that Mariel has her Gullwhacker with her - yes, I know she shouldn't…it's those vermin, awfully remiss at searching their prisoners. The next part will explain how their saviours got there. (Yes, I know they walked, ha, ha.)

Mariel Gullwhacker.


	4. The Way It Often Is

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Love In The Light 04: The Way It Often Is

The moment the rumour reached Rainoh (Resistance Army In [the] North Of Hartfar) that King Mordred was staying in Castle Merriam, they grouped together and sent messengers to the other forms of the Resistance (Raisoh, Raieoh, Raiwoh, and Raicoh).

"Y'see, Mordred is _here_. He's got captives. I saw 'em being brought in. Two mice."

"Yes, Laurie."

"Laurel, shut up."  
Laurel Chamberlain Sarkcroft sniffed. "Well, if you don't want my _advice_…"

"We don't. Honestly, we don't."

"_Fine_."

She stalked off, muttering to herself. "Well, y'know the _cheek_ of those blinkin' folks! It's only once in a flippin' blue moon y'get somethin' worthwhile from me - I don't mind sayin' I'm not clever. But _that's_ somethin' worth havin'!" She stared mutinously at the castle. "I bet Mordred'll bally well come out in a minute an' attack us. And guess who'd get the flippin' blame?"

It was in glaring down that she saw two creatures make a bolt for it to the gates. Laurel could spot a chick in a nest from more than a mile away, and it wasn't long before she could identify the exact same mice that had been captured a few days before. She nodded approvingly before freezing. Then she was up and running for the Rainoh.

"Attack! _Attack_! Mordred's comin' this waaaaaay! Attaaaaaaaack!"

Delia, a superior watervole, scowled disapprovingly at Laurel. "Do be quiet, haremaid. We are trying to formulate a plan."

"Well, Miss Snootyface, _I'm_ trying to jolly well save two of Mordred's _prisoners_, doncha know! Bloomin' heck, what a body has t'go through t'save a bally friend who y'don't know!"

"What's wrong, Laurie?" asked Allen, a tall, brawny otter.

Laurel almost screamed at him. "There's two prisoners down there, surrounded by Mordred's flippin' vermin! The ones you've just bin talking about, y'know!"

Allen swung round and issued a sharp order to his holt, who snatched up their pouches (mercifully full of stones) and swished their slings meaningfully. Lady Safire picked up her quiver and leisurely chocked it full of Rainoh's finest arrows, as her tribe followed her example. The squirrels were in no hurry to do battle, for it would be long before they needed to cover Rainoh's retreat.

"Aureole, go down an' open the bally gates for us, there's a dear. A peck of help it'll be to those poor mice if we jolly well can't get in, and really, you could only get down from this bloomin' window. Skipper darling; take the rest of the army down there so Aureole doesn't have to wait ages. Some stupid vermin could close them if y'not quick enough."

So spoke Miriam, an old female hare, watching the younger creatures benignly. She called everyone 'dear' or 'darling', and mothered him or her until they backed away in terror.

"Can I stay with you, Grandmamma?" pleaded Susie, her granddaughter, barely half a season old.

"Of course, dear."

"Good. I _hate _fighting."

"It's necessary, little'un," Laurel told her niece. "We don't want you to know how much we've suffered first-paw."

"But I'm not going to, so it doesn't matter."

Laurel laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said to Lady Safire. "It's nice to have her unfailing faith in us."

Aureole, a saintly-looking squirrel who belied her name and appearance, swung lightly out of the window and landed in a high beech close to the walls. Leaping over the grey, forbidding stones, she collapsed in a heap by the gates. Mordred himself ran past her, and she held her breath.

Miraculously, he seemed not to notice the squirrel. She crawled to the heavy iron gates and drew the bolts back. They grated loudly, and she froze as a heavy paw clamped down on her shoulder.

Aureole had been trained to deal with many situations, but it was inevitable that she would come face to face with the very one she hadn't been prepared for - a confrontation with the wildcats. Only one, but she was well aware she could be killed with a single blow.

Slashing out with her dagger, she sliced a long gash across his chest - he wore no armour - and kicked out furiously.

Allen dashed in through the gates and set upon his enemy with a ferocity that had never before touched otters. His command of holts followed him and fought like madbeasts.

Aureole cut herself a path through to the two mice. She grinned reassuringly at them.

"No worries! Rainoh love this, thank you for escaping!"

Even as she said it, she wondered if Laurie's light-hearted banter was taking effect on her at last. Aureole sincerely hoped not, Laurel might be able to deal with serious things with humour and chaos, but Aureole used two separate states of mind, and intended to keep it that way.

The mice didn't seem to hear her; they battled on together, barely seeming to notice that they had reinforcements. Aureole decided to get out of the way before that whirling dervish of a rope the maid was swinging hit her.

"Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllll!"

Aureole ducked back into the battle as Lady Safire hurtled out of a massive hornbeam.

"Carry on, squirrel, you're not doing badly."

"Yet," muttered Aureole. This was the impersonal address given to any creature that happened to be near. Aureole had heard it at least seven times that season.

How can I describe the undercurrent of hate in this - no more, really - skirmish? Mariel and Dandin sensed it, fighting desperately as they were. They were impersonal to any feuds; they knew nothing of the war-torn land they were in. All they wanted was to escape. But they couldn't even do that. They sensed the hatred, fear, and anger between the two other forces, but they didn't feel it, _couldn't_ feel it. And why should they?

Aureole, Allen, Safire, Laurie, _they_ hated the usurping vermin passionately, they wanted Hartfar to return to the democratic nation it had been, like in the stories told of Mossflower. Indeed there was a monarch, but he had reigned with a slack hand, letting his people wander the castles freely, listening to the ballads sung by minstrels and troubadours. They wanted it to be like that again, when all the decisions had been made by the ordinary creatures and the king or queen had been chosen as the wisest family in the land. That was what they wanted.

As for Mordred and his army, they were almost power-crazy. His sons kept cool heads, and though they loved the might they had, his sons didn't let it go to their heads. But Mordred, once he had power, clung to it with almost pitiful strength. His sons saw him as an ageing wildcat, with not many seasons to last, but he saw himself as strong and vital, with decades to pass before he wended his way to Dark Forest - if he wasn't diverted to Hellgates, that was.

Finally, due to the fierce strength of the vermin, the woodlanders were driven back. Dragging Mariel and Dandin with them, they retreated outside the gates.

When they were a safe distance away, Aureole collapsed on the solid, firm earth. The two mice immediately knelt down to see if she was all right, but she waved them away.

"Just tired," she explained. "And why not?"

This was said with slight defiance, directed towards Laurie, who shrugged. It was all water off a duck's back as far as _she_ was concerned.

"Hiya," she said amicably. "I'm Laurel Chamberlain Sarkcroft, but I'm usually known as Laurie, or Laurieshuttup. Either'll do, but I'd prefer the former, wot?"

Mariel and Dandin were rather taken aback by this offhand greeting so soon after a battle, but recovered themselves quickly.

"I'm Mariel, this is Dandin. We're from Redwall Abbey in Mossflower."

"Nice place, Mossflower," said Laurie with no apparent motive. "What's Redwall like?"

"It's beautiful. There's a bell tower, a pond, green grass, the Joseph Bell - "

"Named after Mariel's father, who made it."

"Yes. It's one of the most magnificent places in Mossflower. Salamandastron is another."

"I know Salamandastron. I've been there. Fantastic, but what some creatures would call Spartan."

Mariel looked blank, but Dandin supplied the explanation. "After that tribe of hares?"

"Yeah - they that hated comfort, and fought like madbeasts. And as for that _lazy_ squirrelmaid - "

Aureole looked up. "Hey, I fought hard!"  
"You're still lazy, 'cause I want you to be."

"Thank you." Aureole subsided.

"Anyway, I think we'd be getting back to the tower now."

"The tower?" questioned Mariel, as they trudged back to the grey, stone building.

"Yeah." Laurie wrinkled her nose. "It's just a turret, like on Castle Merriam, of an old ruin. The rest of it's fallen down."

"Oh."

As they trooped in, Miriam called to them. "All those creatures who were in that skirmish, get to your dormitories now, and I don't want to see your ugly mugs until tomorrow! Not you two, of course, dears," she added to Mariel and Dandin. "You two take baths, have a meal, and then Laurie'll show you where you're sleeping."

"Oh, Laurie will, will she?" cried Laurel indignantly. "And what if she's asleep?"

"You won't be, I heard you groan," said Miriam inexorably. "Go and get changed into your nightdress first, darling, though. Allen Skipper, you show them where the tubs are - I heard you grumbling. And I don't care if you can barely keep your eyes open!"

To Mariel and Dandin, it seemed like heaven after the cold, dank prison. Hot baths, and then a good meal, they hadn't had those since they left Redwall. Miriam might be old, but she was an amazing cook. Dandin was sure, though he didn't say anything, that Miriam could cook a whole Redwall feast to last three days…alone…and better than the Abbey Friar could.

As Laurie left the two in their respective dormitories, she turned to Miriam with a wink.

"A mouse and a mousemaid, best of friends, both warriors, complete and utter loyalty to each other…what more could you want?"

Miriam looked warningly at the apparently innocent features of the cheeky haremaid.

"Let nature take it's course, Laurie."

"Certainly…but isn't a helping hand a nice thing to have around?"

"Not where you're concerned, Laurie - especially with _your_ matchmaking skills."

A/N: Don't tell me you didn't know what they were getting at! There's going to be four more parts to this, I hope, and the last one is a songfic to the one and only Enya. _Flora's Secret_, it's called, from _A Day Without Rain_. The greatest!

Has anyone noticed that in _The Bellmaker_, the riddle is solved a little bit _too_ quickly? I'd have expected a bit more pondering over who was to go - look at _Redwall_! At least we could have had a few questions in the mind of the Bellmaker himself. Not that I'm criticising Brian Jacques's work, it's just…that jarred when I was reading it in the doctor's waiting room. My _appointment_ was ten to six, I left at twenty-five past five and was still there at twenty past six. Typical schedules. Sounds like our class in a science lesson - twenty-odd topics to cover, and only seven weeks till the SATs. And half the class barely manage Level 2, while me and a couple of others qualifying for Level 6 - our _average_ is Level 4, and Level 6 is this impossible target to most people. And us _supposed_ to put in three hours a week on science, and half of us not doing a quarter of that…that includes me, incidentally.

But that's enough of my moans on our 'important' exams that are nothing like as important as the eleven-plus was. I want to know what _you_ think. Should I neglect my revision, and keep it for the BBC ReviseWise website? Or should I go back to ordinary studying, and forget about fanfiction for the next two months? You decide.

Mariel Gullwhacker.

P.S. The not-so-fantastic dedication goes to **Kathryn Angelle**. I hope I've spelt that right? And does anyone think my characters are OOC (out-of-character)?


	5. Meet The Team

**__**

Love In The Light 05: Meet The Team

Mariel and Dandin awoke simultaneously as Laurie bawled out her _reveille_ to the skies. Aureole threw a pillow at her.

"_Hi-yo the bells of morning, hi-yo the bells of day…hi-yo we've had no warning, hi-yo it'll go our way!_"

"Huh – what's going on?"

"Nothing unusual," explained Safire, slamming her own pillow down on to Laurie's face to muffle the raucous shouting. "Laurie just likes to hear the sound of her own voice, don't you, Laurie?"

"Vajjuseccabones."

"Pardon?" Safire released the haremaid. 

"I said, that's just an added bonus!"

Having spoken her piece, Laurie bounced out of the dormitory and down to the kitchen in hope of early breakfast. 

"Meet the team," said Aureole with a laugh. "The mad one who just went out is Laurel Chamberlain Sarkcroft, commonly known as Laurie. I'm Aureole, Lady Safire's lieutenant, and that's Lady Safire over there."

As the three – Mariel, Dandin, and Aureole – trooped downstairs, Aureole introduced them to everyone they met.

"That's Skipper. His real name's Allen, but usually it's 'Otter-Get-Over-Here-And-Lift-This'."

Allen looked mortally offended. "Of course," he said mischievously, "Aureole belies her name. She should be called Devil's Horns!"

"That's true," said Aureole thoughtfully. "But it doesn't trip off the tongue quite as well, does it?"

Allen grimaced and went on his way to the ramparts. "You'd better run if you want breakfast," he called back. "Laurie's storming the kitchens!"

"I hope you're fast runners," Aureole said, leaping down the steps five at a time.

*

"Y'see, the place you escaped from is their base in the north. We're the northern resistance, otherwise known as Rainoh. Sounds bally silly, doesn't it? It should have a 't' in it, but it was easier to say this way. The eastern lot do, though. Have a 't', I mean. They're buildin' a new fortress up here. Don't blame 'em. Castle Merriam's no place for any self-respectin' beast. It's horribly draughty. The plan was, infiltrate the castle, set fire to the wall hangings, and watch the vermin burn. Only – it was a pretty nasty death, and they might still escape. Not very good, wot?"

Laurie spoke all this between mouthfuls of food Mariel would have thought it impossible to consume had she not seen Tarquin L. Woodsorrel at close quarters.

She glanced happily in the direction of Castle Merriam.

"That's a goner. The wildcats are movin' out. They'll go back to the bally capital. That's in the centre of Hartfar. Of course, there they have Raicoh – like I said, we have bloomin' silly abbreviations."

"There's a lot of rivalry between the Resistances," said Aureole, pausing in her demonstration of how _not_ to eat breakfast. "It's stupid, really, we ought to be pulling together."

"We're all in this together…by ourselves," quoted Lady Safire.

"That pretty much sums it up," agreed Aureole.

Laurie looked straight at Mariel and Dandin. Eyeing them thoughtfully, she asked: "Are you going to join us?"

Everyone who had heard (except Mariel and Dandin, naturally) glared ferociously at the haremaid, who shot a defiant look back.

"If you want us," replied Mariel calmly.

"Of course we do!" cried Laurie. "But what about your friend?" She mock-scowled at him. "Does he want to?"

"I always fall in with Mariel's wishes," said Dandin solemnly. "She hits me if I don't."

Laurie howled with laughter and Mariel poked her friend in the stomach. "At least I don't eat food meant for two seasons in two days!"

Aureole grinned mischievously. "Well, we have two kitchens here. One for Laurie and one for everyone else!"

Laurie stuck her nose in the air and walked out. Unfortunately, she tripped over a fallen chair and fell flat on her face.

All the beasts in the room applauded her.

"Why, thank you, thank you." She bowed several times. "Next week's demonstration will be on how to fall off the battlements."

"Oh, but you've done that one before," Aureole argued. "Remember?"

Laurie seemed to prefer not to recall the incident. "I'm going to find Susie," she said, changing the subject, and walking out, this time without any mishaps.

"Susie's her niece," explained Lady Safire.

Laurie seemed to have regained her good humour, anyhow she was singing something in strident tones. Dandin could just make out the words.

"_I've sung this song, but I'll sing it again,_

Of the people I've met and the places I've seen,

Of some of the troubles that bothered my mind,

And a lot of good people that I've left behind, 

Saying: 

So long, it's been good to know you,

So long, it's been good to know you,

So long, it's been good to know you.

What a long time since I've been home,

And I gotta be driftin' along."

Her voice faded away into the distance, impossible though that sounds, and Aureole caught at the sleeve of a handsome mouse who was just going past.

"Durante, these are Mariel and Dandin. They joined us last night."

Durante smiled, but his smile did not reach his eyes. His face registered admiration for Mariel and disdain for Dandin. "Very nice. I (haw!) assume that you'll be joining Rainoh!" He pronounced 'joining' like 'jorning'.

"They have," replied Aureole before either of the two could answer.

"Ah! Well, hope you'll be valuable assets!"

The stuffy young mouse moved away, and Dandin contented himself and his dislike of Durante by making awful grimaces behind the mouse's back. Mariel bit her lip, but Aureole made no attempt to hide her amusement.

"Thank goodness somebody's done that!" she exclaimed. "Durante is ever so, never so polite, as Susie says, but I can't stand him."

"I get that feelin', too," said Allen glancing up from his precious battle plans. "Too fastidious for my taste. Acts like he's just left the royal court."

"He probably has," Aureole laughed.

"Don't even joke about treachery, Aureole," said Lady Safire sharply. Aureole blushed.

No more was said on the subject.

*

"Well, what do you think of them?" inquired Aureole that evening.

"What do you mean?" asked Lady Safire. Laughing, she added: "You sound like you're boasting about prize specimens of something!"

"They are, in a way, wot?" Everyone turned to look at Laurie, this was most unexpected from her. She grinned back, quite unembarrassed. "Well, they are! Prize specimens of warriors. I can feel it. They're bloomin' ordinary, good-natured creatures, but there's somethin' uncanny about them. We've just been lyin' around, when Mordred and co. come up here, we have a couple of skirmishes, kick 'em out, and go back to sleep (metaphorically, o'course). These two, they'd chase 'em right out of Hartfar!"

Lady Safire nodded. "I agree, Laurie. They're like Skipper Allen, they're determined that when they start a job, they'll finish it!"

"Which is why – " Laurie began, but Aureole cut her off.

"This is a council of war, not matchmaking plan time. I agree, but just shut up for now, all right?"

Laurie shrugged. "If I must…"

"You must."

Again, Laurie shrugged. "Whatever."

"Though Mariel's a dashed pretty gel…" began Durante, but was silenced by an icy glare from Aureole.

"Now, let the games begin…" she said with a sly smile.


	6. Back To Back They Faced Each Other

A/N: I'm really, really sorry I haven't updated in forever…really, I am. Our internet's been disconnected, and will be for a while…*scowls viciously at the new extension* It's all my Dad's fault. (Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt blame everything on somebody else.) And I'm trying to write original stuff now. (Note: 'trying' being the operative word. I'm failing. It's a load of…)

Anyway, this is the third to last chapter, and the title is from a nonsense poem that a friend of mine recited two-and-a-half years ago, and I don't know who the author is. It takes place some time after _Meet The Team_, and is really more of an interlude/ennui before the big attack on the wildcat fortress. Mariel and Dandin quarrel. Badly. And somebody's actually listening to Laurie, for once, which I'm sure can only lead to trouble.

I really need to sleep. And Durante's giving Dandin an inferiority complex. But I don't think he's evil. Yet. I'm hovering…I don't think he's evil. Yet. I'm hovering…Durante's a bit like Cal in _Titanic_…but doesn't have any claim on Mariel, thank goodness…he's a coward. And, to follow my Yorkist tendencies instead of my Welsh, in that, he's like Henry Tudor (the Seventh) I am a firm advocate of Richard III, you see.

The next chapter, _Going For Gold_…*yawn*.

I've changed the title, as you may have noticed, to _Your Faithful Friend_. Please, please tell me what you think of it, 'cause I prefer this to _Love In The Light_, but I don't mind _LITL_ at all.

__

Mariel Gullwhacker.

Disclaimer: Well, of course I own Mariel and Dandin. I mean, who else's would they be?

Just kidding.

I'll leave it up to you to decide what BJ owns. I only own 'Your Faithful Friend', but I highly doubt anyone wants it.

**__**

Your Faithful Friend 06: Back To Back They Faced Each Other

One fine day in the middle of the night

Two dead men got up to fight

Back to back they faced each other

Drew their swords and shot the other

A deaf policeman heard the noise

And arrested those two silly boys.

- Anonymous (Good old Anon!)

To be honest, a less patient person than Lady Safire would have tried to break up the argument, but she knew, or thought she knew, Mariel and Dandin well enough to guess that such quarrels were easily forgiven. But Lady Safire waited outside the door until Dandin stalked out past her without seeing her, and she decided it would be wise to make a strategic retreat.

It had begun like this: Dandin had come to Mariel's chamber to ask her about her relationship with Durante. It wasn't a particularly prying question, in his view, he had asked questions like this before, when rumours had gone round pairing Mariel with some unlucky young mouse, and she had laughed in his face. In a sudden fit of uncharacteristic humility, he had said:

"Of course you love Durante. Why shouldn't you?"

"Why should I?"

"He's so nice to you. He's rich. He can offer you everything you might want. And he's in love with you."

It seemed entirely reasonable that Mariel should, therefore, love him back, in Dandin's view.

"Is he?"

"Isn't he?" Now Dandin was puzzled. _He_ knew perfectly well how he himself felt about Mariel. It was inconceivable to him that Durante did not feel the same way about her.

"He says he is. He might well be. But why do you care?"

"You're my friend." Well, it was true. Of course, there were other reasons. For instance, he was worried about her. And…

"That's not an answer."

"I think it is." No, he didn't. She was right, it _wasn't_ an answer. 

"It's not the answer I want. Tell me why you really care."

"Why do you want to know?" Dandin wanted to curl up and die. _How does she know?…Does that mean – everyone ELSE does as well?_

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." _I think I might understand, after all_.

"You'd be the last person I'd tell this to."

"Oh, thanks." Dandin was hurt. _After all that's happened to us, she won't tell me? She should know by now that I'd never betray her_.He stood up angrily, eyes flashing. "I'm good enough to listen to your little secrets, but the important one I'm too inferior to know? That's great, Mariel, just wonderful. I'm fine with that. Better go and tell Durante all about this big upsetting secret, 'cause I'm just too thick to understand!"

He turned and walked away, swallowing hard. Mariel started after him, trying to call out, but the words stuck in her throat, and to her intense fury, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm _not_ upset. I'm _not_ upset."

She repeated this to herself several times, but when she thought she'd finally beaten it and stopped, one tear slid down her cheek and Mariel bit her lip.

"I'm _not_ upset."

Lady Safire, who had heard just the latter part of the argument, decided, as we have seen, to make a diplomatic flight from her position.

*

"So, d'you see? In my humble opinion – flippin' _heck_ – ahem! Mariel and Dandin were _made _for each bally other."

Laurie had been speaking for some fifteen minutes on this subject, although the first ten had mainly consisted of insults towards the unfortunate Durante. The old wife Marian had listened politely to her diatribe, and when Laurie had actually said something that wasn't insulting, sentimental, or repetitive, Marian had actually expressed some interest. Finally, she said:

"I think you're absolutely right, Laurie."

"You do?" Laurie stared at Marian in disbelief.

"Yes, I do."

"Flippin' – bally – _heck_. That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me." Laurie was stunned, and not a little touched.

*

As Mariel walked down the corridor, she felt, rather than heard, a presence behind her. She quickened her pace. The other creature did so too.

Paw on her weapon, she swung round to face the other. But instead of facing the way she had come, she found herself being slammed into the wall. Durante's face was close to hers. It was clear he had been drinking.

"My dear gel…" he slurred.

Mariel lashed out at him, but he caught at her sleeve and managed to keep his balance.

"Don't think you'll get away that easily, my gel…" he garbled indistinctly.

"Leave her alone."

The voice came from the head of the stairs. Dandin, paw on dagger, was standing there, to Mariel's relief.

Durante looked for a moment as if he was going to disobey him, but after an agonising pause, turned and slunk away into a side-corridor.

Dandin came down the stairs, authority gone, but now he felt somewhat awkward, as did Mariel.

She swallowed. "Thanks."

"It's OK…" he shrugged it off, embarrassed.

"Well…thanks anyway."

He nodded, and walked away in the opposite direction. Mariel was left to proceed to a meeting with Aureole and inwardly berate herself.

__

I am an idiot. Besides, I could have handled Durante. I didn't need Dandin. But he rescued me from…that…and I can't even say 'thank you' properly. That means…oh, forget it.

Then, the evil little voice said:

__

If you can…

*

Aureole was disgusted beyond words at what Mariel told her. She went to find Durante on the spot, while still in a righteous rage, and found him in the mess hall, considerably more sober than before.

"What the – to borrow a phrase from Laurie – bally heck were you _thinking_?"

She glared at him, daring the young noble to be impertinent.

"All's fair in love and war, my dear gel." He looked indifferently at her, with all the arrogance of his ancestors apparent in his manner.

"Of course," retorted Aureole sarcastically. "I might have known. You weren't."

"Really, my – "

"Don't. Just don't."

"Do you think it would be a good idea to appoint a new Skipper? Skipper Allen is extremely rude, he stuck my head in a bucket of water a few minutes ago…I was only a little tipsy…"

Aureole could have screamed.

*

"Why are we happy?"

It was Aureole speaking. Laurie looked surprised at the question.

"We're happy people," she shrugged, and turned away.

"No, we're not."

Laurie turned back. Amazement was written all over her features.

"I've always thought we were, rather."

"We can't be. We wouldn't be _here_ if we weren't happy where we were."

Laurie comprehended Aureole's mixed-up sentence perfectly. It was the sort of thing she often said herself.

"I see your point. But Hartfars _are_ happy. We get on and make the best of things."

"So why are we fighting?"

Laurie pondered this question for a moment.

"I s'pose every creature has its bally breakin' point," she said finally. "What d'you think?"

There was no reply. Aureole had disappeared into the trees.

Muttering about the infinite rudeness of this act, Laurie went indoors to join the festivities. They were celebrating the imminent attack on Merriam Castle – which, as Dandin had pointed out, made you realise the truth of the phrase: 'eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die'.

She looked up at the stage. Dandin was preparing to sing. Even Mariel, who had been studiously ignoring him for the past two days, turned her face towards him. Her expression discountenanced Laurie considerably. For a moment, she felt that she had no right to interfere between these two. They could sort it out by themselves.

But it was only for a moment, and then Laurie was leaning forward eagerly, hoping to hear the song she had left lying about in the tower. It was an old song, and not, she thought, very well known, and hopefully those that _did_ know it would have the sense to keep their bloomin' traps shut.

"_We laughed as though we were fey_

On a Midsummer's Eve.

Then the next day you went far away

Though you promised you'd never leave.

"_You knew that wherever you went_

I would go too

And that whatever you said you meant

I would always love you.

"_I was there for you when your father died_

I will be there for you whenever you need.

I was there for you whenever you cried,

I rejoiced with you when your mother was freed.

"_I needed you once and you were there_

If I needed you now would you still help me?

If I told you I'd die without you to care?

Or would you tell them all to 'leave me be'?

"_Do you need me as much as I need you?_

I will always be there right until the end.

Do you care as much about me as I do you?

Your faithful friend."

As Dandin relaxed and stepped down from the platform, Laurie glanced back at Mariel, whose head was bent and she looked as if she was doing some serious thinking.

*

Mariel looked down as Dandin finished his song. Dandin doubted her friendship? Doubted how much – Mariel let the thought hang. She didn't want to think about it. Wasn't it enough that he worried that they weren't – well, he had a point. They hadn't even spoken to each other for two days – the longest quarrel they'd ever had. It was hard to sustain bitter feelings when you had to work closely with that creature just to stay alive. Here, where there were plenty of distractions, and contact with that creature was unnecessary, it was easy.

Well, to be truthful, she missed him. And she had a very good idea why it felt like the empty space where he had been was tearing her apart. Not that she'd admit it, of course. Not the idea, not even that she was hurt. Unless they were being charged upon by a rampaging army – which seemed quite likely, if the attack went ahead.

She jumped up and headed towards Dandin. Just as she was about to reach him, Aureole burst in.

"Mordred – massive army – we've been betrayed!"

And the room went silent.


End file.
